Nyack house tour, with 10 homes on view, set for May 3

Every other year, usually on a glorious weekend in early May when everything is bursting into bloom all at once, the Historical Society of the Nyacks convinces the owners of some of the best and most interesting houses in the Nyacks to open their homes for its biennial house tour.

It's a great opportunity for people on either side of the Hudson to discover the walkable charms of these quaint riverfront villages, perhaps do a little shopping, check out all the houses open for the day and enjoy lunch at one of the many great restaurants in Nyack.

This year's self-guided tour, which is called "The Great Nyack House Tour -- Houses with a Secret," runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. It features five houses in Nyack and another five in South Nyack.

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This is a view of a converted carriage house built around 1868 owned by Jennifer Rothschild in Nyack on April 15, 2014. Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News

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One of the most interesting -- and truly charming -- homes open this year is a converted carriage house that has been owned by Jennifer Rothschild since 2012. It was built around 1868 and may have been moved twice. It was definitely moved forward 90 feet in 1991, when it was converted to a home and dragged to its current address on Washington Avenue in South Nyack.

Local contractor Bill Bosley is the one who bought the property, which was not in good shape, in 1991 and converted it into the Gothic Revival house you see today.

Before that, it housed both carriages and horses, with a room upstairs for humans. Now Rothschild's master bedroom, this cozy room on the second floor was dubbed the "billiard room" because pool cues were found in the closet.

Bosley saved as much of the original building as he could, including the walls made of wainscoting that he reused as trim around windows and doors. He also kept the master bedroom's original hardwood floors in alternating mahogany and oak planks that was a popular style in the mid 19th century.

"If you are familiar with the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you will have seen this kind of flooring in the Gothic Revival Library room," says Rothschild, a former lawyer who now works as a historic preservation consultant. She is on the board of the Historical Society of the Nyacks.

You can still see the original floors, with telltale marks from pitchforks, in what was formerly the hayloft (now two upstairs bedrooms and a bathroom) and in the carriage room downstairs.

Note the square windows on the first floor where horses could stick their necks out for fresh air.

What is now Rothschild's home office on the first floor was probably a room used for cold storage, she says.

There is a delightful terrace off Rothschild's master bedroom that's perfect for viewing fireworks on the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve. In winter, you can see Hook Mountain in the distance.

Since buying the three-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot house, Rothschild has begun to collect Gothic Revival pieces and you can see them throughout the house. Judging from the many photos and paintings, she is clearly a lover of horses, too. She has also developed an affinity for many of the local artists in Nyack and you can see several of their paintings on the walls of the second floor hallway.

Jennifer Rothschild in her kitchen; photos by Carucha L. Meuse.

The house was in very good shape when Rothschild bought it, and she has just made a few minor fixes, such as redoing the back steps and one of the bathrooms. She also had the living room ceiling faux painted by Mike Pisano of Closter, N.J., to look like wood. (You really have to look twice, to see that the knots and woody grains are not real.) "It had been painted white," she explains. "Knots and all, it took him a full week to do the job."

When asked about her favorite part of the house, Rothschild quickly moves beyond the historic walls and floors. "I love the neighbors the best," she says. "This is a wonderful area."

Another house on this year's tour with loads of character is a three-story Queen Anne-style house on South Broadway in South Nyack that has been owned by Lori and Bob Courtwright for 11 years. They have furnished the 1884 house with period antiques, many from local shops.

"The dining room is almost exclusively from antique shops in Nyack," Bob Courtwright says.

All of the rooms on the first floor -- the six-sided foyer with a working fireplace, living and dining rooms, library and kitchen -- will be open for the tour, along with the stairs and second-floor landing and sitting room. For many years the library, which is just off the front door, was a separate doctor's office.

Courtwright in his living room.

Don't miss the antique light fixtures and the silk wallpaper on the walls of the foyer that was commissioned by the Courtwrights and hand painted on site. The artist insisted that no one else, especially other contractors, could be around when he was working.

We just love the roomy front porch with its old-fashioned awning.

What a great spot for people watching. "In summer, we live out here," Courtwright says. "We eat dinner out here many nights."

IF YOU GO

What: "The Great Nyack House Tour -- Houses with a Secret"

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3

Where: 10 houses in the Nyacks

Reservations: nyackhistory.org or at the Nyack Public Library at 59 S. Broadway, or mail a check to Historical Society of the Nyacks, P.O. Box 850, Nyack, NY 10960, or buy tickets on May 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Living Christ Church.

Price: $40 through April 30; thereafter $50. Pick up your guidebook and map at the Living Christ Church, at 151 S. Broadway in South Nyack, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the day of the tour.

Information: 845-418-4430, info@nyackhistory.org

Also: This is an event most appreciated by adults; no children, please.